Noble
by omrn
Summary: Couldn't find a story where Eragon meets NOBLE team, decided to make my own. Very OC, set in algaesia. First fic, sorry for any errors/faults.
1. Chapter 1

First Fic, very OC. Noticed that there was not a single eragon/noble team piece anywhere, so I decided to write my own. Rated M for violence and other stuff. Enjoy.

As you will notice, noble team survives reach intact and fights on halo, escaping with the chief and Cortana. They latter participate in the battle of earth, stopping a cruiser from attacking a unsc base in cape town. Also, I decided to give them I better A.I. than dot, a female named Sarah. May include other Spartans at future points.

In the inheritence cycle, this comes directly after Brisinger.

For this story, six has a default helmet with both attachments, a gungnir left shoulder, a fj/para right shoulder, recon chest, GPS, hard case, and fj/para knees, with brown and steel default armor. I also decided that since six uses an AR I should amp it up a bit. Think of it as a fully auto scopeless dmr.

After the covenant dissolved, things got a bit tricky politically. The elites felt pretty guilty, so they helped the unsc rebuild, and even began to integrate themselves into human society a bit. They claimed some worlds, settled down and thought about there mistakes. They still worshiped the forerunners, with the arbiter acting like a kind of pope almost. The grunts formed there own country on a warm watery world near sanghelios for there protection, but many have journeyed out to earth and the human colonys for work. They integrate better because of there non-threatining nature, and because they separated with the elites. The brutes did not fare so well. many still harbor a deep resentment towards humanity, and believe in the old ways. These brutes are in conflict with reformists, who call for a change in jiralhanne culture, with less violence and a return to the religion. Even worse are the jackals, who splintered into thousands of factions and nations, many taking up the trade of piracy again. The drones left for there homeplanet, and are rarely heard from. The hunters joined the sangheli people, and live alongside them for the prophets, the few of them that were left either were killed or quite often killed themselves. A couple hundred of them were still left in prisons and other such places, but they are headed on the path to extinction. Many humans have formed anti-alein groups out of hate of the covenant, including the so called Aryan empire, a militia that bases itself in nazi ideaology and is one of the main threats to the unsc. They have a firm belief that the forerunners were in fact Aryans, and that they are destined to rule the universe. After the war, with the help of the unsc, the elites tracked down all the remaining halos and used nova bombs on them to prevent any samples of the flood from being released.

9/24/2556

6:20

The world swung like a pendulum, almost making 6 vomit. Definitely not a good feeling to wake up with. The "wake up" part was an assumption. To be honest, all that David B-312 could remember was being on the ground, feeling the dizziest that any human had ever felt. No period of slow eye opening, just a sudden and unpleasant realization that he was awake. Knowing that standing up would be a bad idea, he focused his mind on figuring out how he got into this state. Unfortunately, the last serviceable memory he had was of dropping out of a pelican to confront some angry brutes on the planet troy. After that, things got blurry, but he could still tell there had been a fight of some kind. Well, better get things sorted out, he thought. Carter would not be happy with him lying on his back all day. He paused to let his nausea recede, then began to lift himself up. from what he could tell, he was in a grove of some kind, with a river in hearing range. Before six was fully upright, he heard a sound, like a lot of footsteps advancing very quick. Six look to his right, where the steps were coming from, and was pleased to see a fully loaded MA37 under his bicep, and a magnum attached to his hip. The footsteps seemed to be getting closer. Within 4 seconds, 6 was hiding inside a prickly bush, with his visor depolarized to avoid glare revealing his position. The men approached slowly, looking all over the ground carefully. They all seemed to be exceptionally strong, with many scars and weathered faces. They wore iron plate armor in and carried weapons that looked like something from the lessons at onyx: maces, swords, even a few bows here and there. Very intriguing. They one of them started to talk to another, who appeared to be the leader. "Any idea what we is looking for sir?" the man said with an almost indecipherable accent. "no. but the king told us to look here, so look here we will, dammit! Stop complaining. Would you rather be out fighting the Varden?" the other man replied. These people still have kings? And what were they looking for here? Was it him? And what in gods name is a "Varden."? Six had questions, and these people had answers. He immediately decided to follow them, find out what they knew. If they saw him, well, he was a Spartan, and it would take a lot more than a dozen men with cheap weapons to kill him.

9/25/2556

1:18

40 troops had left from the camp this morning, and 2 were returning. That, in nasuedas mind, was a bad sign. Even worse, they had come back on the brink of the void, and had to be healed before they could report. " but what could have caught them so of guard?" asked Eragon, who was pacing around the pavilion in deep thought. "those men were not fools, and they held no oath to you in the ancient language, so why would they attack such a superior force? " " perhaps a surprise attack? Sudden, unexpected reinforcements?" asked nasuda. "no, I have seen that place with mine own eyes. It is flat land for miles around.A force of any size would be seen long before they reached our men." Orik the dwarf king answered from his seat across the table. "what if the soldiers were cloaked with magic? It would take some work, but it could be done by a higher level magician." Asked eragon. "now there's something id rather not be true!" said Orik. "and besides, why would they send out such a strong magician to kill 40 men? I'm guessing this is Murtagh and his dragon at work here." "possible, but as you said, why send Murtagh out to kill just 40 men? There are a whole lot more things he could be doing." Replied eragon. "my spies also report that he was in dras-leona this morning, and I think they would have let me know if he'd left. I think we just ought to stay put for now, see what those survivors say. they might have simply been outsmarted or underestimated the enemy." Explained nasuda. "well, you two better head of and lunch while you still can. I suspect we will have a lot more to worry about today." Eragon didn't need more encouragement than that. he left for his room and Orik went to join the other dwarves for some mead. Eragon let his mind wander, thinking about roran, saphira, and quite often arya. Being around arya was akward still after his failed courtships, but she was still a friend of his and had placed a lot of faith in him. His one comfort in this was that since he was immortal, and she too, he would have quite a long time to try again. That is, if galbatorix didn't kill either of them in the months to come. He worried more about that possibility every day. But while he was afraid of death, he was more afraid, especially of recent, that saphira or the others would die and he would live forever alone.

He brushed those thoughts aside as he entered his room and began his meal of strawberries, cheese and cabbage. He reached out to find saphiras mind.

_Hello, little one._ She thought to him. _Has nasuda given any word of when we will move on? The game here in fienster bores me._

_ Well, this attack has her worried, and its scary for me to. we need to find out from those survivors what happened. We cant just go in blindly to a potential trap._ He answered.

_Eragon, unsettling things happen every day. We cant hide here forever._

_ True, but we cant afford to take undue risks. We only have one shot at this, and if we fail, galbatorix will terrorize this land for possibly thousands of years._

_ Well, you have an argument. But I still wish I could finally move on. _

_ Me to._

6:08

Six cracked open the little oni box he had found in a chest compartment. It contained one silencer for his magnum and a tiny survival kit. He stuck the kit back in the compartment and put the silencer on his gun. He felt almost nostalgic about it. the last time he'd used a silencer was before reach, but it still felt familiar in his hands.

Following the soldiers was easier than he thought. He recovered quickly from nausea, and had walked behind them through the night and next day. Six was almost impressed by there endurance. Unfortunately, he was less so with there intel sharing. What he did hear was nonsense to his ears, stuff about some "Eragon" battling a shade somewhere, but he doubted they meant a turret.. This eragon guy also was refered to once as "shadeslayer". Supercarrierslayer…. Now that's a good title. But Jorge had helped him, so maybe it wouldn't count. Zealotslayer was not bad either though. He advanced toward the camp, magnum in hand. Since he couldn't get intel through listening, David would have to resort to the old way: knifepoint questioning. He picked a tent by a ditch in the road. Getting to the ditch was easy, and he got halfway through fine. Then he heard some singing nearby. A drunk soldier was stumbling towards the ditch to pee. The mans face came into view. 6 didn't hesitate. The magnum jerked in his hand and the drunk, minus part of his neck, tumbled into the ditch. Shit. _Way to make a good impression, six._ he crawled a bit faster towards the tent. If they found that body, this little operation of his would become a firefight, and attract attention from whoever had sent these men. The Spartan looked over the edge of the ditch and saw the tent, as close as he was gonna get stealthily. He scaned the horizon, then jumped out and advanced on the tent. the flap was open just a bit, allowing him to see two soldiers asleep on cots. He pulled his knife out and put his hand firmly on the closer ones mouth, pointing his head away to avoid identification. He soldier writhed and struggled until 6 put his knife against his adams apple. "now listen. You are going to tell me everything. If you think you're a patriot and wont talk, well lets just say I've got plenty of soldiers. First, what were you looking for up north?" six whispered as he slowly uncovered the soldiers mouth. "I honestly don't know a thing. All I know is that the king thought there was something useful there. I guess he was looking for something to fight the Varden with." Whispered the man. Six breathed a sigh of relief. This might not be so difficult after all. "who are the Varden?" "What do you mean, "who are the Varden?"." "lets say I'm new in town." "fine" the soldier then explained how the Varden had rebelled against the empire under the leadership of eragon and were now waging a war in the south. "just one more question: were there any other places you were instructed to look?" asked 6. "us? No. but galbatorix sent others out to the southeast and another team a bit west of here. Please, sir, don't kill me." David pulled away his knife, then kneed the man's head into the side of the bed, knocking him out. He departed swiftly from the camp, aiming to be as far as possible when they found the body. _A team to the west. Well, isn't much, but at least I have a lead now._ Six ran into the west, where the planet turned slowly away from whatever star it circled.

9/26/2556

1:31

Nasuada awoke to screams and the smell of roasting flesh. She was Into her clothes and outside the tent instantly. The scene before her was horrific: a fire blazed in the streets outside the keep, engulfing dozens in its tendrils. A similar one was by the gates, and yet another in the rich district. She looked around to find a source of this confusion. The ground was occupied by only men of the Varden. Who were all running in panic. But she saw several black shapes in the sky, circling quickly on hairy wings. _Razac._ The Razac had returned to Alegasia. She stood paralyzed in fear and shock, watching as the monsters picked up men and dropped them from the sky. Within minutes, eragon was in the sky fighting them. The Razac soon fled, 2 of them taking prisoners with them. As they flew of, they tossed something behind them. Another fire burst up where it landed. Nasuada fell to her world faded around her.

2:10

"Emile, wake up." spoke Sarah's voice into his ear. Warrant officer Emile Alpha-239, fourth member of noble team and resident assault specialist, lifted himself up out of a crag. "Sarah, where the fuck am I?" he asked, looking up at a moonlit sky. "No idea. I just "woke up" myself. I figure that either we got EMPed or my memory got wiped. What can you put together?" the Spartan could now see that he was on a mountain, and went towards the top to look around. "Nothing much. We were in slipspace, about to deploy against some brutes that had attacked troy. Not much else." Emile replied as he sprinted up the mountain, vaulting rocks in his path. Being fast was a part of his job, as well as nerve, courage, and control of ones reactions. Pain resistance also helped, since CQC was a very volatile environment. Screw up once, and you would be in a whole lot of pain. Recovering fast was often the difference between life and death. "What was the last order carter gave to you?" asked Sarah. ""Get to the pelican" or something along those lines." Answered 4. "Damn. I remember him telling Kat to check in with HIGHCOM while entering the atmosphere. I'm assuming you didn't hear that." "Negative. I can't remember getting to the bird." "Excellent. I hope I didn't do anything dumb." Emile made the last couple strides up over the top, looking out over the entire horizon. Behind him and to both sides was a chain of mountains, rocky and icy at the top, sparsely forested toward the bottom? In front of him was a short plain, then a massive expanse of water, with the other side barely visible. On the other side, 2 features struck him the most: a huge black object jutting out of the ground, and large, low to the ground settlement of some sort. Smoke rose from it, as if from fireplaces. From what he could see, the buildings matched no know architectural styles, and seemed crude by any standards. _Well, at least this place has people._ Thought 4. "That mountain is not a natural formation, Emile." Announced Sarah through his earpiece. "I would recommend setting up camp by the lake and watching that city for a while. This situation is very disturbing." " Just about to say so myself. Even if they are UNSC, I don't think they would all take so kindly to a Spartan just walking into a slum like that. Those kinds of places are just swarming with gangs and militias." Emile replied as he began his descent from the stony peak.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Well, fixed the conversations. So here you go with chapter 2, a longer and hopefully better addition. Thanks for the feedback, and I hope you enjoy.

PS made the Razac a bit weaker than they were in the books. I wanted them to served as elites, providing a real threat to the Spartans, something they couldn't just destroy with their superior tech.

8:11 AM

"Roran, are all your men unharmed?" Asked Eragon.

"There's 2 dead, one broken arm, one with a bad flesh wound on his knee, and a man burned all across his left side. And that's just the physical damage." Answered Roran. The cousins were sitting on a bench in the hallway of castle Fienster, a gloomy but warm environment, resting after a tiring night. The Varden had lost many of their best people in the attack, and were hard pressed to keep the people of the city under control. Nasuada herself was being healed, as she had broken a bone in her face when she fell. Both of them were trying their hardest to keep from falling into depression, and focus on strategy instead.

"Aye. An attack like that is sure to break the will of any army. And if we don't have a motivated force, getting rid of them will be a real task." Returned Eragon. "Speaking of "getting rid of them" how many of those things are there? I thought we ended their kind when we went to rescue Katrina."

"Well, I doubt there are more than the 4 Lethrablaka we saw last night. If there are, we better start praying"

Their conversation was interrupted by an out of breath courier, with news from Nasuada.

"The queen wishes that you go to evaluate the enemy, Shadeslayer. She needs to know how many and how strong the Razac are. As for you, captain Stronghammer, she says that there is a small scouting party near the city that you are supposed to go after, as she thinks they might be acquiring information that will be used for another raid. Her majesty is sorry that she cannot speak to you directly in her state and wishes that you carry out her orders safely and efficiently." Announced the courier, impressive with his shortness of breath.

"Well, you heard the man. If Nasuada needs me to go scout, go scout I will. Make sure not to get yourself hurt in the fight. Farewell!" said Eragon as he ran towards an open courtyard. Saphira waited for him there, her natural shine making it hard to see.

_Good to see you, Saphira._

_ And you to, little one. This scouting mission should bring some light to both our hearts. I expect Nasuada assigned us this task to let us fly together._

Saphira's knowing of the mission pleased Eragon. Their minds becoming closer was comforting, making the world seem less lonely. He ran up and jumped onto her already saddled back, checking his gear one last time. Not that it would matter much. Eragon already knew that Saphira could fly faster than the Razac's mounts, and didn't plan on attacking them. Saphira shot of into the sky, which was still brightening to the day. They felt the thrill of speed and weightlessness for a few seconds, circling around the city to remind the sullen warriors within that the Varden's trump card was still in play. They then started of to the northeast, the direction the Razac had been seen last. They flew high, watching the ground and horizon for signs of danger. As they flew, they talked to each other about how to defeat the Razac and eventually Galbatorix. After about an hour, Saphira smelled a horrible, invasive iron odor. They flew down to investigate, and were led to a hilltop, where the source of the smell was visible: a Razac, dead on the ground with a large section of its chest missing. It looked like the heart (or whatever the monsters had) was blown out with incredible force and scattered over the grass. Eragon hoped off her back and into the thin film of greenish blood, almost slipping on its oily surface.

_What could do this, and for that matter why?_ Asked Eragon._ I mean, it would take a magician of amazing talent to accomplish this, but why? There are thousands of ways to kill, and this would take much more energy than needed. _They were both glad that they creature was dead, but horrified that a being of such power could exist.

_ We should head back. This is a development that Nasuada will want to hear about. And I would rather not have an encounter with whatever did this._ Thought Saphira to her rider. Eragon lifted himself up onto Saphira, and they departed. As they left the corpse behind, Eragon reached out with his mind and scanned for any sentient thought. All he got was a small, faint cold sliver, like the Razac's ghost was haunting its grave.

2:50

Six's radio sparked to life, identifying 2 known allies. He had been heading west since last night, stopping only for a buffalo chicken MRE behind a sheltered ledge. He had to hide from passing troops every half an hour or so plus dodge the occasional farmer tending to his crops. Who was fighting who was still unclear to David. What was clear was that this was a state of total war. Not once did he see a young man working the fields or carrying goods from one town to the next. The crops were emancipated and few cattle could be seen grazing. It was the ancient equivalent of the human-covenant war, two sides locked against each other, uncompromising in their efforts. The Varden, smaller and weaker, on the brink of extinction, fighting not for land, money or resources, but for their survival. They were obviously the humans. The "covenant" was a huge mighty empire, ruled by shady figures at the top, pushing dishonest genocidal agendas. It was 6's natural environment, which he had been trained all his life for.

But fighting was a lot easier and safe with people covering your back, which is why he was so pleased to see a signal come in from a source labeled CARTER A-259. And seconds later, KAT B-320.

"Noble 6, this is noble 1. If you are hearing this please acknowledge." Came a voice through the speakers of his helmet.

"Affirmative commander. I am transmitting my location to you now." Answered David. Within seconds, Carter and Kat were visible approaching from the north on a dirt path. 6 ran towards them, meeting them halfway.

"Good to see you, 6." Said Carter. "Been one hell of a trip so far. Good to have another Spartan around. I trust you've noticed the delicate political climate here."

" Delicate political climate? I would say this goes a bit beyond that, sir." Commented 2. " Me and carter found a sheltered cave a not far from here. We should go there to plan our next move, get a bit of rest." As the Spartans walked, they talked about what they knew and how they had gotten there.

"I was attacked by some soldiers about 4 mikes after waking up. I figured it was a freak coincidence, till Kat told me about her encounter. Anyway, I managed to grab some local currency of the bodies along with a map and something signed by a certain "Galbatorix." From there I used the map to locate some big lake for fresh water. Kat had the same idea, and our COMs linked, like with you. Then we hooked up by the shore." Explained Carter.

"Phrasing, Carter" Kat said.

"Of course, 2." Apologized one in an embarrassed tone.

"Just thank god it wasn't "rendezvous"."

Sensing his senior officers discomfort, six jumped in.

"I had a bit of an exchange with the locals myself, but avoided direct combat. Didn't know what to do, so I followed them and interrogated one at knifepoint. Found out a bit about the war and heard that another team had been sent west, which I guess was the one you got rid of. Followed that lead and ended up here." six recalled as he jumped over a smallish rock.

"So this king guy knew where we were, and was looking for us. That's what your saying?" asked Kat.

"He was looking for something. My guess is he saw whatever dropped us of in this obscure corner of the universe and wanted to know what it was. If he knew what we are capable of, he would have sent more troops." Answered 6. "and before you ask, the guy I heard this from also said there was a group assigned to look in the southeast. With any luck, we can find another Spartan within the next day or two." The band approached the cave, which looked rather sturdy, but still uncomfortable. It was conveniently placed behind some dead trees.

"It's a bit small, but we won't have any unpleasant surprises while we sleep. Get yourselves some food and some good sleep, noble. We head southeast tomorrow." Carter said as he lay down by the entrance.

"Kat, what's on the menu?" questioned 6 as he removed his helmet.

"Reuben sandwich, steak, and some kind of noodle dish from Asia." Kat said as she pulled the rectangular plastic bags out of her armor.

"Trade you refried beans for the sandwich."

"Deal." Six tossed the food at the same time as Kat, causing a midair collision that put the beans just out of 2's reach.

"Fuck." Left Carter's mouth. He had just opened up the map he had talked about previously. "all right, people, whatever where looking for is in between the capital city and a major population center, so be ready to fight tomorrow."

"Always am." Mumbled Kat as she drifted off.

3:18

"Arya!" shouted Eragon from Saphira's back. _Here we go again_ she thought. Ever since the siege Eragon had been spending a lot of time around her, asking her for help with magic and stuff. It was very annoying. He was a good friend, but only a friend. If he could only understand that, it would be a lot easier to be around him. But she didn't want to risk offending him and turning him away from her forever. The only way she could see this resolve was if Eragon found someone else among the Varden, such as Triannna. But that would have to wait for things to stabilize a bit.

"Arya, I have a report to give to Nasuada. Do you know where she is?"

"Nasuada is currently in no state to meet with you, or at least the healers say so. She has asked that you give your report to me."

"I flew where she directed me, and found only 1 dead Razac."

Arya looked confused. Eragon sent her an image of what he had seen, which didn't clarify things much.

"Did you see anything else?" Asked Arya.

"No. It was very peaceful other than that. Why?"

"Another scout returned claiming he'd heard loud bangs in the distance. And almost all imperial forces have been leaving in a hurry. Thought there might be a connection."

"There could be. Any news from Roran?"

"He still has not returned. I trust that he can take care of himself, but I still worry."

There was a short pause, Eragon obviously working up his courage.

"If you have no other plans for tonight, how would you like to have dinner?" propositioned Eragon.

_ Humor him, Arya. The last thing I need is to spend all night tending to his wounded ego._ Was projected loudly into her mind by Saphira.

"I could agree to that. But this shant be an attempt to court me, Eragon. I have already given you my final answer in that regard."

"I understand. This is simply a friendship dinner, not a, um, courtship dinner. I have all but forgotten that possibility." Eragon. Knew that at least half of that sentence was a lie. he hated lying to her, but it was the only way he could see of getting closer to her.

"So, sunset at my room, then?"

"Yes, of course." _I wonder if Angela can create an anti-love potion._

Arya walked away to whatever duties called her, and Eragon silently praised himself.

8:34

The town of Lelom was a sad, broken place. Many of its citizens had been forced into the army. The taxes of war had destroyed many families and stopped the trade that the town was so proud of. Crime had doubled, then tripled, until every citizen became hard-hearted and turned on their neighbors. But the worst part about it all was the occupation. Soldiers treated the citizens like animals, even though some of them were natives of the town. And then there were the strange officials that the empire had put in charge, hunched figures that wore robes to conceal their faces' and made clicking noises to each other. Most villagers thought they were magicians of some kind, or possibly elves. Everyone avoided them though, because ever since they had arrived, people had disappeared on a regular basis. None were ever found.

Junealla was better of than most. She had long brown hair, which she kept in a knot usually, tan skin and a very attractive face. She worked as bartender at the goose's neck, a pub, and one of the only businesses that hadn't gotten worse from the occupation, at least in terms of money. It was a bit unnerving to be around the drunken soldiers all the time, but it was better than begging out on the street. The only real issue was one of the captains, an old giant with a harsh attitude, who made advances on her whenever he was in the bar.

She was thinking of how to keep him away when he burst through the door and started shouting. "everyone! Get outside and be ready to fight!" he yelled.

"What is it sir?" Asked one of his men.

"Some stranger be coming to town. And he's the size of a kull, wearing some fancy armor, and has a faceplate with some kind skull carved into it."

" Is this a joke, sir?" asked another soldier timidly.

"So you think it's a joke? Go out there and see for yourself!"

all the troops left through the door. Junealla, curious about this strange new arrival, followed them. She didn't have to look far. Striding across the center road was the man himself. And the captain hadn't exaggerated. He was huge, probably outweighing a bull even without the armor he wore. The faceplate had a skull, but was made out of what looked like solid metal. She wondered how he saw out of it. as the figure advanced, she could see that he had something stuck to his back. The empire's forces blocked her view as they surrounded him. She dared not get any closer. The captain approached the stranger. They began to talk, but she couldn't hear what about. The talking became more and more heated, and the captain got more and more aggressive, until he shoved the giant. in a blur of motion, the captain was thrown into one of his men, who was knocked over. The rest of the soldiers waited for a second, then one of them charged with an axe. The huge man swung his leg up and then brought it down on hard. The assailant lay on the ground, clutching his foot in pain. Another man pulled out a bow and started to fire. The giant didn't even move. a thin golden barrier formed about an inch out from the suit. The arrows mostly shattered when they hit it, some bouncing off. One of these arrows hit a soldier in the knee and he fell to the ground, right on top of the other one. The crowd seemed to get the message and ran away, stumbling over each other just to escape. In seconds the street was empty except for Junealla and the man. He began to walk towards her. she was tempted to run, but realized that he could catch her easily. By now she could see a large curved knife attached to his right shoulder, a series of cylinders attached to his chest, waist, and right arm. The arm with the knife was red, as were other parts of his armor. And on the side of his skull helmet was a thumb sized box.

He stopped a few feet in front of her. Junealla tried hard to calm herself, make herself look tough in front of the odd warrior.

"Where am I?" he asked in an accent that reminded her of the traders that came in from the Hadarac every spring. It sounded so human and familiar that she couldn't speak for a second.

"You….. You're in the town of Lelom, sir. To the west of Leona Lake."

"What province, what planet, what system?"

"What do you mean by that? W-what is a system, sir?"

The man was quiet for a second or two, obviously thinking.

"Are you telling me you don't know what a star system is?" asked the man.

"A star system? Is that like those things that the elders point to in the sky, that show old stories and legends in them?" the giant paused again, obviously as confused as she was.

" Would the word UNSC be familiar to you? In any way?

"You-enn-ess-cee? Like that? No I am not familiar with your enn-ess-cee. S-should I be?" she said. The man sighed.

"Is there anywhere in this town where I can get a beer? Not like a glass but like a bucket or something. Just a really big beer."

"I….. I work as a bartender at the goose's neck. I c-could get you something there if your willing to pay." The man sighed again.

"Uh, I don't have any of your kind of money with me. Where can I get some?"

"Well, could put the first one on the house if you helped me get a new barrel out of the basement."

"No problem."

They walked together awkwardly. Junealla was confident the man was insane. He had beaten up an imperial captain (a hanging offense.), asked her what constellation she was in, and was now asking her if he could work for beer. And did all of this blind, in a suit of armor that looked like nothing she had ever seen before. _Perhaps dwarves crafted it? No, the elves! or perhaps it was made with magic. That would explain the arrows._ She pushed open the doors and walked him to the steps. Aged cedar creaked as he followed her down the steps. At the bottom, Junealla went over and checked a label. Satisfied, she got her hands under the keg, ready to lift. The man walked over, grabbed it, and lifted it with one hand. He walked back up the stairs with it tucked under his arm.

"Where do I put this?" he asked once she was up.

"On that table back there, behind the bar. Thank you, mister…

"Emile. You can call me Emile. And you are?"

"I-I'm Junealla. But my friends call me June."

Emile chuckled at that. Junealla started pouring him a beer. She was still a bit frightened by him, but knowing his name made him seem a lot more human.

"What's so funny about my name?" she asked him.

"Oh, nothing. Just reminds me of a friend."

"So, what brings you to these parts?" June questioned to keep the uneasy silence from flowing back in.

"No idea. To be honest, I would give a months pay to know why I'm here, or even to figure out where here is. "

"And how do you see out of that helmet? Or are you like a magician of some kind?"

Emile reached up to his neck and pulled of his helmet, revealing his face. He had black skin, like the traders, and his hair was shaved very short. He had short facial hair, but his neck was clean shaven. He had observant, hard eyes that made him look intimidating but not unreachable. Across the upper left side of his face were a half a dozen small scars, and ones larger one running vertical down his face, one from an inch under his eye down to his chin, the other from the edge of his nose to the bottom of his lip.

"The helmet is a kind of glass that you can only see through on one side. And that carving is just into the reflective layer, so I don't see it much."

"So you go to battle with a piece of glass on your face."

"In a way, yes. Those scars your looking at are from the time when my old helmet broke. There is another protecting layer over the glass and metal, though, so it as bad an idea as it sounds."

" Is that what I saw when the soldiers shot at you?" asked Junealla as Emile took a long drink.

"Yeah. Called energy shields. Cant tell you how they work, but whenever something is moving towards them with enough power to hurt me, they flare up and protect me. They only work with impact, heat, and electrical stuff. I once… " Emile looked detached and hurt, as if he was reliving a traumatic memory.

"Then how did you break your helmet then? Wouldn't the energy shield protect it?" Junealla asked to bring him back.

" Shields break down eventually. They can repair themselves, but only when they aren't taking more damage. Listen, you've been really kind to me, and I am thankful for that, but I need to ask one more favor of you."

"What?"

"After I got in that fight, those men will be looking for me. I need somewhere to sleep tonight, and I imagine that the local hotels will be the first places that soldiers look for me. So can I please sleep in your bar? Just for tonight?"

"By "hotel" I guess you mean inn. And yes, you can sleep here tonight."

"Thank you." He said, putting his helmet back on and lying down on the floor.

"If you want, I can get a bed for you." Offered June, but Emile was already asleep.

9:50

"Apologies for my late arrival. I had to help heal one of the men in Roran's company." Explained Arya as she opened the door. The room was furnished lightly, with two chairs sitting across from each other at a square table. On that table was a complement of fruits and greens with a candle at the center.

_A candlelight dinner? What have I done? Now it will be impossible to keep him away from me._

"Oh, so Roran is back? He is okay, right?" asked Eragon.

"He is alive and well. But the interesting part isn't him and his mission. A scout sent north reports that he was attacked by a lone Razac. But before the beast could lay a finger on him, its head was removed in a similar way to what you described. It was as if "an invisible hammer hit it" in the man's own words. But it gets odder still. He reports that the instant in which it was struck, he could see a faint trail of vapor in the direction of the blow, and a second later he heard a sound akin to thunder, much like the sounds the other scouts heard this morning."

"This gets stranger by the hour. Here, sit have some grapes, and give me your take on this all."

"My take?" Arya said as she sat on the bench across from Eragon. "I think this is a magician of some kind or another. Why he uses such force, makes that noise, or leaves vapor trails is beyond me. we can only continue with the plan we set out with and hope that whoever this mystery killer is, he stays on our side or keeps away from the Varden. I so not want to fight such a man, but I fear that we perhaps must."

"Well, we can think of it as practice for the king himself, eh? We still have to kill him, no matter what. I will not live in peace while such a tyrant escapes justice."

_Ooh, showing of your morality. I'm sure she will love that. Very suave._ Saphira whispered into his head.

_ Well, it's true, and I am proud of it. If Arya likes it, that is a pleasant side effect and nothing more. Don't you have better things to do than tease me about my moral fiber? I'm sure the dwarves have some mead you could terrorize them over._

"That is very responsible of you, to take on such a just cause. I only wish more youths, or even more men showed your morality." Arya commented. Eragon mentally poked Saphira.

_See! She was impressed. next time you make fun of me, I'll take it as a complement._ Saphira laughed at that.

_Eragon, you smell bad._

_ Why thank you. How very mature._

_ Little one, you remember that I am but months old, right? If I can't be immature now, when will I be?_ Arya seemed to notice Eragon's detachment and the chuckles coming from him. If he had been anyone else, she would assume he had gone mad. But she had been around him long enough to tell that he was communicating with Saphira.

"So what does Saphira have to say on this?" She asked.

_Who is doing this is an interesting question, but more so is why. If this were an ordinary man who had been hurt by the Razac, why had he not simply joined the Varden. It seems quite a lot to learn such a high degree of magic just to get revenge._ Saphira said.

"Well, remember Roran? I have no doubt he would go to that length to avenge Katrina. But then where would he have learned it? and why such a dramatic style of killing? On that note, do the Razac not have wards?" asked Eragon.

"Both of you seem to be forgetting that this could very well be a woman. If Roran were to fall, I am sure Katrina would be just as vengeful. Perhaps more." Criticized Arya, making Eragon feel a bit guilty.

"Well, I hope that day never comes." Said Eragon.

"As do I, Shadeslayers." Angela agreed as she strode into the room.

"Angela, how long were you listening to us? You should knock, too." Eragon said.

"I was listening long enough to tell that you were talking about. And I decided that since this mystery killer has been of such interest to everybody, I should check it out myself. And at the site of the body you discovered, I found this." Angela reached into her pocket and pulled out a metal cylinder the length of a finger. It was hollow, with one end capped. On that one end there was a circle and a dot in the center, and inscribed on the rim was "14.5x114mm". The inside was covered in a thin powder layer, and it smelled oddly smoky._Perhaps king Orin could figure out what that stuff is._ Thought Eragon.

"What is it?" asked Arya, looking at Angela in hope of an explanation.

"I have no idea. But you 2 have an entire night to find out! Good luck."

And with that, Angela left the room.

9/27/2556.

1:20

Out in the cold of space. His helmet shattered. Blood streaming out of his wounds, falling slowly to the planet below. Lungs burning from emptiness. No air. On the brink of death. It was a nightmare Emile had been having for the last 7 years, at least once a month. Reminding him of the time he should have died. No air. Alone, far from anyone who could have cared. Dead, knowing no one would ever see him as more than a set of statistics and a number. He tried to focus on the things his shrink had told him afterwards. "They would care if they knew." "Millions are indebted to you" And especially after Reach and Earth, "You are a hero." But the fact remained that no one knew him, except for NOBLE. And even they saw only the sides they showed him. No air. Emile felt adrenaline surging across his body. It shocked him out of sleep. No air. Right in front of him was a face out of an equal but different nightmare. Ancient, cruel, cold, and ruthless, like the vacuum in his imagination. A shelled monster with a beak protruding out of where a nose should be. And its hands were wrapped around his neck. He could feel another arm helping the first monster. His first instinct was to pull the creatures off of him. but they were strong, and he was weakened by the lack of oxygen in his muscles. His next move was to reach for his knife, but the thing on his back made grabbing it impossible. He could feel his limbs freeze as his body went into survival mode. He made another attempt at pulling the beasts of, but even with his superhuman strength, they were to strong. Everything about him was starved, unable to work. He was going to die, just like in his nightmares. His vision went red, then black, then he forgot he had eyes. His sense of smell was next, turning of his nose just as it filled with blood. His entire body was broken. But he was a Spartan. He refused to die by the hand of a being he had never met. And his shields still worked fine.

He swung his left hand across his leg, repeating a motion he had done thousands of times before. A shockwave of heat and shrapnel struck the Spartan, carrying him across the room and into a wall. The thing in front of him had split in two, and the thing behind him had broken its carapace in several places. His vision returned quickly, and his ears popped. He reached for his waist, where a M6G sidearm still was. At this range, he couldn't miss. The bullet struck directly between the Globular eyes of the beaked thing. The sound made his head implode with pain. Emile ignored it. he took a second to regain his breath. Before he could fully recover, another attacker appeared at his right, of the same creed as the others. A clip of 12.7x40mmM225 SAP-HE went into its chest. It fell backwards, breaking a glass when it landed. Another one was on his left, carrying a sword. The creature raised its arm to strike Emile. With his shields down, it would be lethal. Emile punched it in the sternum with his left hand, staggering it. at the same time he had drawn his knife with his right hand. With one strike he cracked it's armor, and with the next he put the blade in its heart. At this point, he had figured out what was coming next. He vaulted out of the building and out of the way of a third charging with another sword. Should have conserved ammo. He stood with his blade ready, waiting for the enemy to make the next move. It made it in the form of a leap followed by a chop to the left. Emile deftly blocked it and returned with a thrust to the abdomen. The creature dodged it and swung again at Emile's left. The sword hit his now recharged shields and bounced off. The 4 lopped his Enemies left arm off, then kicked it in the chest for good measure.

"Sarah, did you see all of that?" he asked.

"Sure did. 5 man stealth attack on a sleeping guy. Those things obviously don't screw around. I doubt many people, even Spartans, could survive that."

"Thanks. But how did they know not to stab me or something?"

" Them knowing about your shields seems like the only reasonable explanation. I bet they were listening in on us last night, in the bar."

"Could be unintentional. They might just choke people normally."

"True. But I think what really matters here is that you are unharmed."

"Give me the med analysis."

"Lung damage, muscle breakdown, digestive shutdown, ruptured liver, and a minor blood vessel broken in your chest. All in all, not to bad for a man who just brought himself back from the shores of Acheron"

"What's Acheron? Some covenant thing?"

"Are you telling me you have never heard of the 5 rivers of the Greek underworld?"

"I'm a Spartan, Sarah, not a college professor."

" You know, the Spartans were originally a very warlike nation of ancient Greece. So this stuff does relate to you. In a roundabout way"

Emile was about to respond to that with something witty when something swooped down, grabbed him, and carried him up into the air. From his angle, he could see that it was some kind of giant bat, with leathery wings and a big nasty mouth full of long teeth. It pulled him higher and higher, an impressive feat due to the weight of his armor. As it passed over the town, those who had some out to investigate his scuffle with the ground monsters turned and ran. Emile could tell that the thing was planning to drop him from a great height and kill him. He would have to kill it first. He could stab it in the leg that carried him, but that would take to long. He was already too high to jump. He could hang on, but the creature could knock him of with its other foot.

He never had to decide. A jolt ran through the monsters body, and he felt the muscles relax and the pulse stop in the leg he was now holding onto. Seconds later, he heard the familiar sound of a UNSC issued anti-material rifle firing. Glancing upward, 4 could see a hole in the things windpipe. The body fell slowly, gliding on the now limp wings. Halfway down, a contact was made on the COMs, registered as Jun A-266. Noble three, the only person in the service that could make the shot Emile had just witnessed. Sarah was also connected to Jun, having made the jump via TEAM INTEL.

As the Spartan neared ground level, he jumped off to avoid being crushed by the corpse.

"Thank you, rifleman. That pays you back for the time I saved your sorry ass under sword base."

"Anytime. Found a couple of these bastards terrorizing a village south of here. A local tells me that the ruling body here sends them to control uprisings and fight rebels. I figured that I could kill them now, get a start on fighting this regime before ONI finds out and puts it in military court stasis."

"Not worried about ONI? Or did you finally just grow a pair."

"Hey, snipers aren't supposed to be bold. And about ONI, after everything we did for them on Io, and the fact that we are directly responsible for the discovery of Halo, they can't touch us. And if worst comes to worst, Six can just blackmail them with all his blackops Intel."

"So the plan is to start a war with a brutal and corrupt dictatorship so that it doesn't go through the Security Council phase? Clever. You sound like Kat. Now, where are you?"

" Under some roots, southeast of you. Don't worry, ill come to you." A few seconds passed as the Spartan sprinted to his ally.

"Now what?" asked 3 as he caught his breath.

"We might want to check out the rebels. But I put those people in that town in the spotlight. Not a good place to be in a dictatorship. We take some of them with us, give them a chance somewhere else."

"Sounds like a plan. But one more thing, how did you explain the UNSC to them?

"I didn't."

"Well, shit."


End file.
